Graham Wheeler's mulled Winter ale

[ade1865]

I'm thinking of doing this for xmas. His recipe is:

3700g MO
350g Crystal
250g Chocolate malt
240g Black malt
390g cane sugar

50g northdown [90 mins]

30g Asda mixed spice [15 mins]

OG 1045
30 EBUs
mash temp 67 degrees
23L


What I'm wondering is, has anyone done this one, and what would be the effect of using roasted barley and/or amber malt instead of the black malt.

also i might replace the northdown with Bodicea.

what do you think?

[Gurgeh]

a brew out of left field!

I bet Stonechat's brewed it, he'll be along sooner or later to confirm

The boudicca will work just fine, being a bittering addition and with similar properties to challenger. you'll not know the difference in a brew of this type.

using amber malt will IMO compliment the spices - very nicely i should think - go about 250-450g

be very wary about the roasted barley - blackest of the black. this i would dial right back to perhaps 30-50g.

or not!

[ade1865]

hehe, cheers Gurgeh. Necessity the mother of invention and all that, basically trying to use what I have and what is on order, hence the hop change and fiddling with amber malt. Will heed roast barley advice as I think a more dark reddish brew rather than black would be the order of the day. Would look best with flames from the open fire in the background methinks. Now just gotta sort out the fire!

[Aleman]

I'd go with roast barley over black malt, and replace like for like. Black malt is about 1200EBC, Roast Barley around 1100-1150, so there isn't a lot in it . . . What I find you do get from Black malt is a much harsher roast character, which needs longer aging . . . . pushing it to get a spice beer ready for Christmas though . . . If you replace the black malt with Carafa Special III (a dehusked, roast malt) you will get a much softer roast character which requires very little aging indeed . . . of course the spices will need to mellow . . . Shouldn't really comment on how long as spiced beers are a violation of the natural order of things . . . . . along with chocolate and or fruit in beer

[ade1865]

ah well if it isn't ready in time I'll just have to extend xmas. I'm sure the kids won't mind

[Dennis King]

I`ve always thought a winter ale would have a higher, gravity 1050+.